The Story Behind

I grew up in Romania, left to see the world, and chose to return. That choice changed everything.

The Leaving

Like many Romanians of my generation, I left. I traveled through dozens of countries, lived abroad, built a career that had nothing to do with mountains or villages or bears. Romania became the place I was from, not the place I was.

The Return

Then I started coming back. Not as a tourist, but as someone rediscovering home. I walked paths I'd never taken as a child. I met people in villages my parents had never visited. I sat quietly in forests and waited for wildlife I'd only seen in documentaries.

What I found surprised me. Romania wasn't the country I remembered - it was deeper, wilder, more alive with tradition than I'd ever known. I'd traveled the world looking for authentic experiences, and they'd been here all along.

The Building

For years, I documented what I found. I built relationships with shepherds and foresters, guesthouse owners and wildlife researchers. I learned which paths led to hidden valleys, which families still made cheese the old way, which hides offered the best chance to watch bears at dusk.

I shared it all on Instagram as @wanderlust_feet , not as a business, but because I couldn't keep it to myself. People started asking if they could come along. That's when Wander Romania was born.

The Philosophy

I don't run tours. I don't have a catalog of packages with prices. What I offer is access - to places, people, and experiences that most travelers never find.

Every journey I create is personal because I know these places personally. The guesthouse owner who makes the best mamaliga. The forester who knows where the bears den. The village where they still sing the old songs at weddings.

This isn't tourism. It's sharing something I love with people who will appreciate it.

The Invitation

If you've read this far, you might be the kind of traveler I'm looking for. Someone who wants depth over breadth. Someone willing to wake early, walk far, and sit quietly when the moment calls for it. Someone who understands that the best experiences can't be scheduled.

If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear from you. Not to sell you anything - just to start a conversation about what draws you to Romania and what kind of journey might serve that.